The One Thing I Cannot Lose
by WordsOnTheBrain
Summary: A series of oneshot songfics. Clary/Jace-centric. Sweet, funny, and tearjerking, these oneshots run the gambit, so laugh, cry, and enjoy these little gems.
1. The One Thing I Cannot Lose

_**Edit: 5/25/16 Hello lovelies! Man, I wrote this so long ago! (read: my Sophomore year of high school. Ugh.) However, I still think it's super cute and very fitting. Also, I've edited it a little. Enjoy (again)!**_

 **A/N So, this is just something I wrote in Lit on Valentine's Day, it wasn't a fanfic at first...but well, I decided it would make a cute MI fic.**

 _Consider me gone. ~C._ Clary turned, heart breaking as she laid her cryptic note where Jace would be sure to see it. She was walking away from the love of her life, but she knew she had to do it.

Jace spent less and less time with her as the days and months passed. He was always busy. Clary wouldn't be trapped by that, so she had to go.

It wasn't the rain that was bothering Jace. No, he could handle that. His fist clenched around the note he'd found lying on the counter.

 _Clary_. His tears finally spilled over. She was gone. Really and truly gone. Jace had been everywhere trying to find her. No one knew where she was, or they wouldn't say if they did.

Walking through the house, Jace flipped light switches until the yard was lit up like noon. He finally picked up the phone and dialed Clary's mother.

" _Hello?"_

"Mrs. Garroway, this is Jace."

" _What do you want?"_

"Just… If you see Clary, tell her I'll leave a light on. In case she ever wants…to come home."

" _Maybe."_ Jace knew that was all he'd get from her.

"Thank you."

Hanging up, Jace placed his head in his hands. _Clary_.

Clary slowed the car to a stop. She stared at the house. Every single light in the house was on. Jace had even hung up Christmas lights and turned _them_ on.

Slowly, she walked up to the house. She found Jace sitting, head in hands, on the couch.

"Jace?" Clary asked softly. His head snapped up.

"Clary!" he cried. Next thing she knew, she was in his arms.

"You are the one thing I _cannot_ lose," she heard Jace whisper. "I love you."

 **A/N So what did y'all think? Any good? Anyway bonus points if you can tell me which country songs I threw in there. Tell me in a review. I'll give you a hint, there's three, all by different artists. Anyway, tell me whatcha think!**

 _ **Edit: 5/25/16: So I didn't change much, just the wording a couple places that was bothering me. I'd love to hear from you, so drop me a review, or heck, PM me if you wanna chat!**_


	2. Still Love You

**A/N So quite a few people have been asking for more, so I decided to turn this into a multi one-shot fic. None of them are related, they'll be marked if they are… So without further ado, I give you the second installment of my wonderfully romantic, choke-on-the-fluff oneshots.**

 **Disclaimer: And I am not Cassandra Clare, so unfortunately, I do not own, Jace, Alec, Clary, Luke, or anyone else. *Sighs***

She hadn't left a number when she'd left. Now, a year later, she was going to call him again. She hoped he still lived in New York.

Clary counted the rings. One. Two. Three.

She sighed as the answering machine picked up.

"If you're calling 'bout the car, I sold it. If it's Tuesday night, I'm out with Alec and Izzy. If you're selling something, stop wasting your time. Anyone else, you know what to do." There was a short pause. "If this is Clary, I still love you."

The phone fell from her fingers. Clary couldn't understand. How could he have held on that long? How could he still love her?

 _~flashback~_

" _I'm leaving."_

" _What? Why? Clary, I—"_

" _Don't, Jace. I need to clear my head"_

" _I'll be here when you come back home. I love you."_

 _~end flashback~_

She hadn't thought he was serious. She'd expected him to move on.

 _I still love you._

/~*~\

Three days later, she called again. The answering machine picked up again. She let out a sigh, not sure if it was a good thing or not.

"If it's Friday night, I'm visiting family. First thing Saturday, I'm headed out of town for the weekend. Leave your name and number and all that stuff, and I call you when I get back Sunday afternoon. …And if this is Clary, I still love you."

She left her number, and that was it. Nothing else. Not another word. Now all there was left for her to do was wait.

/~*~\

Sunday evening, Clary stood looking expectantly at the phone. She was awash with nerves, and when it started to ring she jumped about a foot in the air. 'Jace' flashed across the caller ID.

Clary let it ring before immediately picking up after the third ring.

"If you're calling 'bout my heart, it's still yours. Guess I shoulda listened to it a little more. If I had, it probably wouldn't have taken me so long to realize. And by the way, this is no machine you're talking to. Can't you tell? This is Clary. And Jace, I still love you. I still love you."

"Clary. _Come home, please. I love you. Come home._ "

She smiled through her tears. Now she knew where she belonged.

 **A/N If you couldn't tell, that was based off of Austin by Blake Shelton. I love that song. Anyway reviews are love! Oh, yeah, I'm taking song requests. So any song you think would make a nice fluffy little one-shot, tell me in a review. It doesn't have to end happily either. I've got a couple, that won't be so happily ever after…**

 _ **Edit: So this one, like the last, not much change, just some wording and polishing. I will still be taking requests, but don't panic if they don't get written and published right away. I've got a lot on my plate! I hope you've enjoyed this piece of fluff (and for my returning readers, enjoyed it again). Let me know what you're thinking in a review! Laters, lovelies!**_


	3. His Clary

**A/N Hello all my lovely readers. Sorry that I was MIA for so long…Oops. Anyhoo…This one's from an OC POV. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!**

 **Disclaimer: So if I owned MI, would I really be writing this? Yeah, um no.**

I was nearly bouncing out of my seat on the plane in excitement. An elderly man with twinkling gold eyes sat down next to me.

"You seem excited about something," he said, a soft smile on his face.

"Yeah," I said shyly. "I'm Ally Michaels."

"Jace Lightwood." I shook his hand. He had a strong grip for such an old guy. "So what were you excited about?"

"I'm going to New York to get married." I smiled hugely. Mr. Lightwood smiled at me.

"I was married sixty years," he said, reminiscing. His eyes were lit up, full of love, yet tinged with sorrow. "Angel, sometimes, I swear I feel like she's still here."

"Do you have a picture?" I asked. I wanted to see this woman he talked about with such love and reverence. He nodded. Pulling a faded and folded photograph from the breast pocket of his jacket, he handed it to me, and said,

"That's my Clary."

A petite red-headed girl grinned up at me from the faded photo. She was riding piggyback on a boy with curly golden hair. Her loose curls were flying in every which direction and both were smiling hugely and laughing.

"How old were you?" I asked him.

"Eighteen. I remember her step-father's doubts about our first "official" date. He basically told me in no uncertain terms that if I wronged her, he'd rip me into small pieces and burn them."

"Wow, he's over protective for a step-father," I commented.

"Luke was always more of a father to Clary than Valentine ever was."

The viciousness with which he spat out the name 'Valentine' surprised me. I blinked. He grinned ruefully at me.

"I apologize, her birth father was…not a good man."

"You really loved her, didn't you?"

"I still do," he replied.

"She's real pretty, Mr. Lightwood."

"Please, call me Jace. And yes, she was absolutely gorgeous. Even when her hair turned gray, she still took my breath away."

The rest of the plane ride, Jace told me stories about the funny things Clary would do, stories about their friends, and about her love of drawing.

In the airport, I gave him a hug when I'd gotten my bags from the baggage claim.

"Thank you," I said, "for showing me what it means to be in love. That's what every woman really wants; to be somebody's day and night, one and only girl. I want to be a part of a love story that never ends, just like you and your Clary. Thank you."

"Good luck, Ally," he said smiling. As he walked away, I saw him put a hand to his breast pocket, the one holding a picture of his Clary.

 **A/N Well! Now that that's done, all of your lovely people out there who are even bothering to read this should review! And even those who aren't reading this should review! Au revoir mes amis!**

 _ **Edit: Aw, this one still gets me. Slight revisions, cleaning it up a little. As usual, don't forget to review! Don't forget you're all more than welcome to request a song for a future oneshot, too!**_


	4. This Big

**A/N SO this one's pretty short, but really sweet, so I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Disclaimer: Cassandra Clare owns these characters, but I'm playing in her sandbox.**

Clary walked into the library of the Institute, muttering distractedly. She stopped at the sight of Jace. She blinked.

"Jace? What are you doing?" she asked cautiously. He was standing with his arms stretched out to the side.

"I love you this big, Clary," he said. She blushed.

"Jace," she murmured.

"No, Clary, let me finish," Jace shushed her. "Please."

"Okay," she whispered.

"I know I'm still young, but I know how I feel, Clary. And maybe I don't have too much experience, but I know our love is real. Because every time I look in your eyes, my heart starts pounding. I probably look pretty silly standing here with my arms open wide, but I love you this big, Clary."

"Jace…" Clary tried to protest weakly, blushing.

"I love you to the moon and back, and I love you all the time. Love you deeper then the ocean. You do something to me, Clary, here in my heart. And I love more than I ever thought I could love anything. If I could, I'd write your name in the stars. Words can't describe how much I love you, but I'll try," Jace said, cutting off her protests.

Clary looked at him standing there, arms open, and tears welled up in her eyes. She ran and slammed into him, hugging him fiercely.

"Jace that was the sweetest thing you've ever said," she cried. " I love you, too."

"I'll love you 'til death and after," Jace replied.

 **A/N Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what song I based this off of! Review even if you can't though!**

 _ **Edit: Short and sweet, I love it. Kinda cheesy, but that's the best sometimes. I left this one pretty much as it was, just polished up some grammer and spelling. Hope you enjoyed, lovelies!**_


	5. See You On the Otherside

_**Edit: Ah, a tearjerker. Drop me a review at the end, I love hearing your thoughts! Enjoy, lovelies!**_

 **A/N This oneshot is a little sad. Anyway, Jace and Clary's daughter is named Jocelyn, but they call her Lynnie for short, just in case y'all don't pick that up. R &R and tell me what you think of this! Enjoy.**

He almost felt silly for writing to her, she was dead, and she was never going to read it. But he was never good at just _talking_ about his feelings. He knew lots of Shadowhunters died young, but he never thought she would be one of them.

 _Dearest Clary,_

 _I miss you so much sweetheart._

 _You know, I've heard it said time is an ocean, hope an anchor, love a ship, and life the trip. Right now it's like I'm in the middle of a storm, I have been since you've been gone. I've run into trouble, and I don't know what I'm doing. So if you're up there in Heaven watching me, please, would you talk to God and say I'm going to need some help down here so I can see you both someday._

 _I love you Clare. I'll see you on the other side, if I make it. It might be a long hard ride, but I'm taking it. I want to go where the streets are gold, because you'll be there._

 _All my love forever,_

 _Jace_

"Daddy?" He turned to the little golden blond girl standing in the doorway.

"What is it, Lynnie?" he asked her.

"Are you talking to Momma again?" Jocelyn's bright green eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "I miss her too, Daddy."

He opened his arms and his beautiful daughter with _her_ eyes ran to hug him. He cried into her hair. HE desperately hoped he'd never have to see the pain of demon poison racing through her veins in this pair of emerald eyes. He'd been forced to see that in his wife's final moments, before the sparkle had left forever. He couldn't lose someone that way again, especially not his daughter.

"It's okay, Lynnie," he said, reassuring both of them. "We'll see her on the other side someday."


	6. Need You

**A/N I'm back! Hello, my lovelies, and I'm terribly sorry it took me this long to update for y'all, but school is catching up with me. Anyway, this lovely little piece is something I slaved very hard over. It's a little bit sad and angsty, but it has a rather sweet ending. Anyway, I don't own MI, that's Cassandra Clare, and since my name doesn't even start with a C (or have a C in it) I do not own this lovely series. Enjoy anyway!**

Clary's hand hesitated over the phone.

No. No. She had said she wasn't going to call. She wasn't going to give in. She'd sworn not to go crawling back.

Snatching her hand away, Clary grabbed her wine glass and drained the last of it in one gulp. She knew she was going to be very, very drunk later, but she poured another glass anyway.

Jace downed another shot of whiskey. He'd lost count of what number it was. It was infuriating, the fact that no matter how hard he tried or how much he drank, he couldn't get her off his mind.

Once more he glanced at the door. He wished she'd come sweeping in and smack him around the head for drinking so much, but she wouldn't. She hadn't done that for a while. Not since…

Jace sighed. He missed his Clary.

Clary had decided she'd rather have Jace to cause her pain than be alone and unfeeling tonight. It was entirely possible it was the alcohol talking and ruling her actions, but she really didn't care.

She picked up the phone. She started to dial his number, but was interrupted by the phone ringing in her hand, Clary stared at the number on the Caller ID in shock before she answered the call.

"Hello?"

It was no use. He was going to have to call her.

Jace dialed her number and put his cell phone to his ear before he changed his mind.

"Hello?"

Jace closed his eyes when he heard her voice.

"Clary…" he murmured.

"Jace?"

"Clary, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you, I swear."

"Jace—" He plowed on, not waiting for her to shut him down.

"I know you told me not to call, and I know I said I wouldn't, but it's," he checked the blurring numbers of his digital alarm clock, "a quarter after one, I'm all alone, more than a little drunk, and I just need you right now."

"Jace…I…Jace, please. I'm losing control. I need you right now. You're on my mind all the time. I don't want to be alone anymore, Jace, I want to _feel something_."

Clary held her breath as the silence on the other end stretched longer. She swallowed.

"Jace?…Jace?...JACE?" Clary cried into the phone. She screamed and slammed it back down into the cradle.

"It was a sham! He didn't mean it! It's all lies! I am so _stupid_!" She cried. Tears streamed down her face as she sank to the floor, racked with sobs.

Jace shoved the key he really shouldn't still have into the locks she'd never changed and flung the door open.

His breath caught when he saw his precious Clary in a heap on the floor, sobbing her heart out. He stumbled over, sat down next to her, and pulled her into his lap.

"Shh, Clary, don't cry. It'll all be okay. Shh…" Jace whispered into her hair.

Clary raised her head.

"J-j-jace? I–I thought…"

"I'm here, Clare," he said quietly.

She grabbed hi shirt and kissed him soundly and a little sloppily.

"Can we try again, Clary?" Jace murmured against her lips. "I need you."

She gave him a watery smile and a kiss in response.

In the small apartment belonging to a man who signed as Jonathan Herondale, a small silver cell phone lay on the thin carpet. It was still open and blinking, laying where it had fallen when its owned dropped it the moment he heard how much his girl needed him.

 **A/N So how was it? Any good? Review and tell me. Personally I really like this one. Please feel free to point out any grammar mistakes I may have missed. THX! Review!**

 _ **Edit: Mostly polishing and spell checking. Added to it a little where it seemed to be missing something. Review, tell me what you think!**_


	7. A Woman Like You

_**Edit: So I did some editing, and it doesn't all rhyme anymore. This is**_ **definitely** _ **a little AU. Anyway, enjoy, lovelies! (Not so much a new song anymore…)**_

 **A/N I very much like this little piece. The song it's based off of is a newer song, but it is so beautiful and sweet. I don't own MI, I just like to play with the charaters, and lucky for them, I haven't made their lives miserable yet. Enjoy.**

Jace was sitting on the living room couch with Clary snuggled up to his side under his arm. The evening news was playing softly, lulling Jace into a doze.

Out of the blue, Clary surprised Jace by asking,

"What would you do if you'd never met me?"

Jace blinked. "What?"

"What would you do if we never would have met?" Clary repeated. Jace frowned.

"Well, I don't know. But," he said, "I'd probably do more deep-sea fishing, and eat a lot more drive through chicken. I'd take a couple points off my darts game, if I'd never known your name. I'd be a better football fan, if I was a single man."

"Sounds like you'd be have a right fine time without me in the picture," Clary sighed.

"Hey hey! You have to let me finish!' Jace protested. "I'd probably never have sold that dark green Nova, and never even heard of yoga, but if I was a single man, I'd probably be looking for a woman like you."

Clary rolled her eyes.

"No you wouldn't. You'd be having too much fun," she muttered. She went to stand up, but Jace wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back into his chest.

"Hey wait, I forgot to mention, I get sick deep-sea fishing. And you make the _best_ fried chicken. My aim is terrible at darts ask Alec, and I love the sound of your name. Yeah, I miss that old green Nova, but I love watching you do yoga. If I was a single man, I don't know what I'd do. I'd be looking for a woman like you. And I wouldn't trade a single day for a hundred years the other way."

Once again, Clary rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it's all true," Jace told her. "I don't know how I'd survive without a woman like you. Or more specifically, you."

Clary smiled softly and Jace pressed a kiss to her hair.

"I love you," he whispered.

 **A/N So how was it? Y'all have to tell me, I wanna know! See that little blue button down there? Go ahead and click on it. Yes that's right, nice and easy…Oh heck, just review!**


	8. Demon Fight, What Demon Fight?

**A/N Hello, lovelies! This oneshot marks the beginning of my previously written unpublished Clary/Jace songfics! I've got several, which are as you read this, undergoing revision and polishing! They'll be posted over the next few days, after which I'll be focusing more on my other fics. I'll leave this work mostly to requests/prompts during that time, so drop me a line if you have a song you'd really like to see! Although I do not own the Mortal Instruments or these characters, I hope you enjoy my dabbles in Ms. Clare's sandbox anyway!**

 **This oneshot isn't actually a song fic, but I feel like it fits in with all of these anyway. Also, it's one of the least angsty ones I've got. Geez, I was really on a angsty love song trip way back when I was first writing these, honestly. So enjoy your fluff while you've got it lovelies!**

"Alec, do me a favor and don't tell Jace," Clary demanded.

"Clary, he'll want to know you got hurt."

"No. He'll just freak out. Don't you dare tell him, Lightwood."

"Gah. Fine."

"Thanks, Alec." Clary kissed his cheek before practically skipping off, the _iratze_ on her shoulder already fading. Alec shook his head and went back to his room to sharpen his arrows. He didn't want to be around when Jace found out about his girlfriend's injury. And he would find out, Alec knew. Clary was criminally incapable of keeping things like that from Jace.

"Clary."

The red-head looked up to see Jace standing in the doorway to her room.

"Can we, uh, talk?" The golden boy asked a little awkwardly. Despite his uncharacteristic nerves, he looked so serious. _Oh no,_ Clary thought. _He found out about the fight. Alec, you promised!_

"Sure?" She replied timidly. Jace took her hand and led her up to the roof greenhouse.

"Look, the demon fight wasn't my fault! Alec and I were just doing a routine patrol and—"

"Clary what are you talking about?"

"Oh, um, nothing, sorry." She blushed. Well, he hadn't known before, but he definitely did now. _Good job, Clary, just confess to everything yourself, didn't even need Alec to tell him._ Jace raised an eyebrow, but he let it drop. For the moment anyway.

"Do you remember the first time we came up here?" he asked her.

"It was my birthday. You made us a picnic," Clary smiled, panic over Jace discovering the fight and her injury momentarily forgotten. "That was the first time you kissed me," she whispered. Jace smiled softly. He'd become much less of the cocky asshat he used to be. He took her hands.

"Dance with me?"

Clary smiled. "Of course."

Jace led her in a slow waltz. The sun was setting behind the Institute, casting everything in a soft glow. The flowers in the greenhouse began to glow themselves. Jace slowly spun them to a stop.

"I was talking to Luke the other day," he said quietly. "You know what I told him?"

"What?" Clary asked.

"Clary, you are the most wonderful, beautiful, clever, and smartest artistic girl I have ever met. I love your laugh and your smile. I love the twinkle in you eye when we dance. I love _you_ , Clary. Will you marry me?" Jace dropped to one knee and held up a gorgeous, delicate gold ring. Calry's hands flew to her face.

"Jace…. Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

She grabbed his collar and hauled him upward to crush her lips to his. When she pulled away, his eyes were gleaming, and somehow, the ring was on her finger.

"I thought you'd never ask!" Clary grinned.

"Now," Jace sobered, though his eyes still flashed with amusement. "What's this about a demon fight?" Clary stared at him, eyes wide. Jace just laughed before pulling her in to kiss her sweetly once more.

 **A/N Well! There you go lovelies! A little fluff to stave off the angst-fest coming! Leave a review and let me know what you think! Laterz!**


	9. Always

**A/N Alright, here we go, welcome to the angst train, lovelies. I feel like I should apologize, but then I think,** _ **nah**_ **. Don't worry, I've got some fluff pieces I'm saving! So enjoy the angst, and stay tuned for more fluff! (Also, I don't actually own any of these characters, unless you count owning the first three MI books, which I don't.)**

 **WARNING: This one has sort of an ambiguous ending, but it** _ **is**_ **implied that there is the death of a major character, you don't necessarily have to read it that way, but that is the way it's written. Sorry (not sorry).**

 *****Also, I apologize for being gone so long. My family went camping up in the mountains (where there is no wifi, but lots of sun and fresh air and glorious nature), ad then I got smacked in the face with so many assignments from my summer class, and then camping again, and then I injured my back, so that was awesome. But! I'm back and just getting started!*****

He was bleeding, but no one would see the blood. Then again, maybe it was just a feeling. He had no physical wounds to account for his pain. It was raining still—had been since she left. Except he was the only one to see it, and he was drowning in the flood.

He'd been planning on getting completely smashed, drinking until he passed out. That was the only time he could escape, when he was so drunk he keeled over, and fell into blessedly dreamless sleep.

Of course all his plans had been shot to heck when she walked in with _him_. His fist tightened around the bottle in his hand. He knew _he_ was whispering in her ear. Sweet nothings and 'I love you's.

He wished those words were his, to tell her to the end of time. For a split second, he almost wished he were _him_.

No. _He_ was better for her. She deserved _him_ , not a washed-out, broken Shadowhunter like himself. He had nothing to offer her. But…

 _I will love you always_ , he thought.

He'd been trying to put this off, but he knew it had to happen. It would break Marys' heart, but he knew he had to go. It would be better for everyone.

He knew they all looked at him with pity and guilt. Pity for what happened to him. Guilt because he knew they all felt they could have, should have, done something more. Except the truth was, they couldn't have. Nothing they could have done would have saved his hand. He glanced at the useless appendage, hanging limp and unresponsive from his wrist. Nothing could have saved his now twisted leg. Nothing could have saved him his limp, or the days the leg simply gave out.

"Jace?"

He turned to face Isabelle. She surveyed him, then the room, serious look upon her face.

"You're leaving." It wasn't a question, Izzy was no fool. Jace nodded.

"Why?"

"It's better this way, Iz. You don't need to feel guilty about things you couldn't have changed, and how things turned out for me. Besides, she's got _him_ now. No need for me," he replied.

"Oh." She was quiet for a moment. "You still love her." This was not a question either. He answered anyway.

"Always, Izzy. Always."

"Do you really have to go?" Isabelle asked pleadingly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. I'm sorry, Izzy," Jace sighed. She surprised him by hugging him tightly.

"Stay safe," she whispered, then turned and left the room.

 _I'll try,_ he thought.

He was stuck in an alley, trapped by a particularly hideous demon. He almost laughed. If anyone even implied he would be in this position a year and a half ago, he would have had them institutionalized. But now, with the injuries he had… Jace sighed. If he had stayed at the Institue this wouldn't be happening, of course he would be forced to remain inside. The original wounds which caused his useless hand and twisted leg had been left untreated too long, and healed all wrong. If someone told him a year ago he would end up like this, he would have punched them. Now, he accepted his fate, looking into the demon's eyes.

"I will always love you, Clary," he whispered as it struck.

 **A/N Ah, well. Like I said. Angst train. Also, a sort of open ending, so you don't have to believe poor Jace was taken down by a demon. You're welcome, I guess. Anyway, drop me a review and let me know what you thought! Bonus points for anyone who can guess the song title and artist. See you next time, lovelies!**


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